The present invention concerns a transfer element for the transfer of molten steel between an upstream container such as a tundish and a downstream vessel such as a continuous casting mold, the said element having a body delimiting a steel entrance zone, a channel and a steel exit zone.
In the field of continuous casting, it is common practice to transfer the molten steel from an upstream container such as a tundish to a downstream vessel such as a continuous casting mold by means of transfer elements, e.g., a pouring spout or a tube, that protect the molten steel from the air and thus improve the quality of the metal cast.
In order to assure the best possible quality of the poured steel, several requirements should be met. The steel should arrive in the channel as slowly as possible. It should be uniformly distributed. It should cool in a homogeneous manner to assure a constant crystallization. The steel should not arrive close to the walls because it is through them that heat removal takes place (water cooling). The steel would thus be cooled too rapidly at the level of the walls and not enough in the center of the mold, which would result in a lack of homogeneity in cooling. Finally, it is necessary to avoid the formation of eddies that would entrain the cover powder, which would form inclusions in the steel.